A little over a month ago, a gun store opened shop in Arlington, Virginia, despite tantrums and protests from the anti-Second Amendment left. Arlington, VA, is a suburb of Washington, D.C., so you can imagine what kind of anti-Second Amendment climate I’m talking about.
Back in April, I wrote about how the owners of NoVA Armory have sued opponents along with sitting politicians who allegedly used their office to drive the company out of business. The anti-gun movement has been persistent and determined to shut NoVA Armory down.
The next chapter in the fight focuses on the Zoning Board. “Five local residents launched their own legal offensive when they filed an appeal to Arlington’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), challenging the county’s decision to issue Nova Armory a Certificate of Occupancy, which is required for businesses with a physical location in Arlington.”
Arlington has already said there is nothing they can do about the business since it follows the zoning rules and has submitted the proper paper work. But that didn’t stop “Julia Young, Emily Hughes, Bernadette Brennan, Grace Chan and Nathan Guerrero on March 2, along with the $575.40 filing fee” from filing a complaint.
ARL Now reports, “Arlington’s Acting Zoning Administrator, Arlova Vonhm, recommends denying the appeal and upholding Nova Armory’s Certificate of Occupancy at 2300 N. Pershing Drive.”
The list of “issues” these folks offer as reason to revoke the certificate of occupancy borders on the surreal. Here are just a couple:
Appeal: The description of the store as a “retail” location is false because Nova Armory’s website describes “wholesale pricing.”
Staff position: “While the applicant’s website advertises wholesale pricing, this appears to be an advertisement of advantageous pricing to retail consumers, rather than a statement of intention to engage in wholesale trade.”Appeal: The Zoning Administrator who issued the Certificate of Occupancy “did not research whether or not the applicant was a valid holder of a Federal Firearms License.”
Staff position: “Given that the Zoning Administrator does not have the authority to enforce state or federal laws and regulations, the Zoning Office does not as a matter of general practice verify required compliance with state or federal licensure requirements for firearms store or any other type of business.”
The anti-gun fanatics are grasping at straws. The Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to hear the appeal tonight at 7pm at the Arlington Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development, Room 307, 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201. If you are in the area, stop by and lend some support.
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